


two can play that game

by dochiwrites



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Fic, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Neighbors, Record store au, Summer, passive aggressive notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22545598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dochiwrites/pseuds/dochiwrites
Summary: Renjun knows he's sarcasm on two legs, which is why he doesn’t mind writing a note to his music-blaring neighbor, asking him to shut the hell up. But what he doesn't know is that this guy is equally as sarcastic as him, and he just so happens to enjoy pushing Renjun's buttons a little too much.or: The five times Renjun and Donghyuck sent passive-aggressive notes to each other, and the one time someone else does it for them.[This work has now been translated intoRussian]
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 123
Kudos: 1276
Collections: 99' ft 00' fic fest





	two can play that game

**Author's Note:**

> to the 99ft00 mods, thank you for organizing this fest and for letting me participate in my very first one! to my beta K, thank you for being so patient and reassuring me every second that this is worth it. and lastly, to my prompter (FT202) and to anyone who plans on reading, i hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it <3
> 
> 201220 update:  
> this work has now been translated into [russian](https://ficbook.net/readfic/10028033/)

**i.**

Renjun regrets moving here.

Not only is his new apartment seemingly on the verge of collapse, with the cracked ceiling and creaking floorboards, but conveniently, C3, the neighbor next to him, _loves_ blasting out 70s songs at midnight.

He’s been bearing with it for over a month now because his pride says so– after repeatedly denying his parents’ offer of paying for his rent, the only building he could manage to afford on his own is an out of shape two-story apartment in the heart of the city. That being said, every time his mother calls, he shrugs all his complaints off and puts on his best fake cheerful voice just so he could avoid hearing the dreaded _‘I told you so.’_

So yes, you can say Renjun regrets moving here.

The thing is, it’s not just him who’s bothered by the noise from his neighbor. A few days ago, he held a conversation with his other neighbor, Taeyong, and they both agreed to stick up an anonymous (but polite!) note on C3’s door.

_ Please turn your volume down. People are trying to sleep. Thank you! _

Later that day, they found the note still attached to the door, but this time, with a two-lettered word scribbled just below it saying:

_ No. _

**ii.**

Taeyong eventually figured it's no use and he'd just bear through the noise. After all, there's always that one prick of a neighbor. Instead, he invested in earplugs and swore he had been sleeping like a log ever since. Problem solved.

Unfortunately, Renjun doesn't have the same conflict-resolving sentiments as him, and if his very courteous request is met with something sarcastic, then Renjun's not going to let this person get away with it.

After debating for days if he should write another complaint, Renjun finally slides it under C3’s door just before he starts his day at his summer job.

He tries to convince himself that this is the only possible way to confront the situation. The dark circles under his eyes are only getting bigger and darker, and frankly, it has been affecting him negatively at a job that requires him standing all day.

So to sum it all up, his first month living in the city all boils down to a note he’s convinced would finally put an end to his frustrations:

 _ Dear C3: _ _  
_ _ Hi! Your sound system is impressive! However, since we do live right next to each other, do you suppose you could test them out at a reasonable hour? At the very least stop playing Bohemian Rhapsody on loop for 30 minutes? _ _  
_ _ Your neighbor, C4 _

It took Renjun four days to write that letter, scrapping and discarding about fifteen prior letters before he decided to go with this one. He had Jeno proofread all of them against his will, even convincing Renjun to just _talk_ to C3 instead of adding fuel to a fire that would likely lead to nowhere.

He’s only met C3 once before: during the day he moved. Renjun bumped into him just as he was hauling three luggages up the staircase, even being asked if he needed some help which he politely declined.

That’s why as soon as he got back from work, Renjun never thought this guy would be the type to bite back with a note as equally sarcastic as his:

 _ Dear C4: _ _  
_ _ I appreciate the compliment and you’re right, I shouldn’t be listening to Queen on repeat for 30 minutes. That’s so disrespectful. Thank you for being such an eye opener. I realize I should be listening to it for A FULL HOUR! _ _  
_ _ Your neighbor, C3 _

True to his word, he did play it on loop for an hour. Renjun spends the rest of the night wishing he worded his letter better.

**iii.**

Renjun first moved to the city at the beginning of summer, just a few months before college starts. His parents were determined not to let him move out so soon, but still, he came prepared with a whole Powerpoint presentation as to why he could fully handle life on his own. Besides, moving out early would give him more time to settle in the new environment of the big city.

That being said, he managed to land a summer job at a bookshop downtown. He’d say he’s lucky to find work waiting for him for the first two days of his job-hunting, but then he realizes maybe not so much.

His days consist of him reaching into shelves he can barely reach, lifting books that most likely weigh more than him, and on occasion, unclogging the one manageable toilet on the first floor. But hey, the job pays. 

The bookshop is where he also meets Jeno. The minute the two of them figure out that not only are they in the same age group _,_ but are also attending the same college soon, they knew they’d be good friends for a long time.

Jeno is in charge of collecting newly-arrived books from storage and placing them in their respective categories, so he’s always roaming around the first floor pushing a trolley. Unlike Renjun, however, he works eight hours a day with a smile on his face. Even customers call him on a first-name basis– asking about his day and vice versa. Possibly the manager’s favorite employee had Mark not been here longer than the two of them.

“Hey, did you hear?”

Jeno is peeking his head from the section beside where Renjun is, pulling the trolley towards him to hide away for a quick gossip.

“Hear what?” Renjun asks, not even bothering to look. He’s been intently reading the signages on the shelves, seeing if he’s placing these books in the right order.

“The renovation on the second floor. They’re turning it into a record shop.”

This seems to get his interest. “A record shop? Like a music library?”

“Exactly!” Jeno says excitedly. “It’ll be operational next week, and manager hyung says they’re short-staffed. Wanna volunteer getting reassigned upstairs instead?”

Renjun unhesitantly says yes. After all, the toilets are all brand new on the second floor.

The bookshop has always been a hit for all age groups, so Renjun isn’t particularly worried that the record store would be paid dust. What he doesn’t expect is how quickly both teenagers and adults swarmed up as soon as it opened, browsing through the racks and rows of LP records and CDs.

The manager, Mr. Jeon, never really bothered spending too much time upstairs, so he allowed Mark to be the one in charge up there with Renjun and Jeno. Mark has been working at the bookshop since last summer, and he even works part-time on school days. Least to say, the manager entrusts Mark with his life. He would even hand him over the managerial role if he ever wanted to retire that same day.

The best thing about having Mark as Renjun’s ‘boss’ is that he’s much more lenient than Mr. Jeon. Being just a year older than them, he mostly allows Renjun and Jeno to work at their own pace, even browse through music themselves if they like, as long as they don’t get caught slacking.

Mark mostly situates himself behind the counter, writing inventories on his laptop while Jeno is the one in charge of checking people out (both cashiering _and_ flirting.) This leaves Renjun as the one handling the entire second floor and assisting customers. Nevertheless, there’s no strict compliance on who gets which responsibility.

Most days aren’t so hectic, at least not as difficult as downstairs. Although, there is one downside: he keeps cleaning up after this guy who always sticks the records on the wrong shelf after listening to them for hours.

What bothers him more is that this person is no other than his mortal enemy, C3. “Of course it is,” Renjun groans to himself one day, making a sour face when he finally realizes who the culprit is.

Eventually, he warns Jeno about this just as the two are becoming acquainted, but instead of siding with Renjun, Jeno finds the information hilarious. Renjun figures it’s no use trying to persuade his friend this guy is pure evil, so he feels prompted to leave a public note instead:

_ To a certain Emporium Books & Records customer: _

_ If you don't know the alphabet very well or you haven't been fully-trained on how to put records back where they belong, please just leave them at the desk or ask for assistance. It makes it harder for everyone else who is trying to sort through the records, as well as the person who has to fix them (ME!!!!!) As a courtesy, under this note is a guide of the full alphabet in case you need it. _ _  
_ _ To everyone else, have a great day! _

“Renjun, isn’t this–” Mark waves a hand at the sign, “–a little too harsh?”

“Not if you’re guilty.”

Mark sighs, scratching the back of his neck. “Will you remind me again why this is necessary? Given the circumstances, you could easily just tell him off. You two basically live next to each other.”

“Are you seriously asking him this?” Jeno chimes in with a snort, stacking CDs on a shelf not too far away. “ _The_ Renjun, who would prefer to make things more complicated than they should be?”

“Listen. It’s because he always just comes over to abuse the life out of the turntables, buys _one_ record out of the six albums he listens to, and doesn’t even bother returning any of them to the right shelves!” Renjun grits his teeth, trying to mask the frustration in his voice as he clasps his hand to the wall, securing the sign in place.

“People in the bookshop never return books to the right shelves either,” Mark points out, “but you never got this riled up before.” A smile creeps over his face as it turns into a teasing grin, and Jeno laughs at the implication.

Instead of arguing, Renjun lets out a deep sigh.

Everyone seemingly finds satisfaction in his misery.

The day after he put the sign up is Renjun’s day off. If ever C3 would come across it, Renjun wouldn’t be able to witness the situation and could only hope Jeno doesn’t blow the story out of proportion.

“He didn’t stay long. Stopped by to pay for another vinyl then left,” Jeno tells him the next day. “I’m pretty sure he saw the sign though, because I saw him snicker at it.”

“See! See!” Renjun grumbles, “He’s doing it on purpose.” He says it with certainty in his voice, but Jeno only shrugs, still unconvinced at Renjun continuously villainizing his neighbor.

“Uh, Renjun…”

The two of them turn to Mark, who’s on the counter, giving them a horror-stricken look. 

“You’re gonna wanna see this.”

Renjun could feel the pit of his stomach sinking. He doesn’t really know what to expect, but Mark’s face confirms that it’s not good news at all. They make their way towards him, and Mark flips the laptop screen to their direction, revealing the store’s Yelp page.

He takes a closer look and reads the review written:

_ Lee Donghyuck posted a review: ★★☆☆☆ _

**_“Thankful I’m still alive!”_ ** **_  
_ ** _ I have never feared for my life as much as I have in this store. _ _  
_ _ I, a 20-year-old who just wants to appease my love for music, have constantly been worrying over my well-being whenever I come to this shop. _ _  
_ _ Although employees Mark and Jeno have been nothing but kind to me as they have always welcomed me with a smile and asked how my day went, your other worker, I believe is named Renjin? Rinjen? has always been threatening my safety as a consumer. Whenever I walk in, I am always welcomed with a scowl and an eye-roll, and if I’m not wrong, even dangerously. balled. up. fists. This act of hostility is EXTREMELY alarming and should not be promoted in this type of work environment. _ _  
_ _ I look forward to hearing from the top management soon so that we can put an end to this concerning matter!!!! _

"That fucking–"

"Oh my god," Jeno mutters, trying to suppress a laugh.

“Hey, this isn’t funny,” Mark points out. “This is the first thing people will see on the front of our page.”

"Alright. He made his point now, just take it down," Renjun tells Mark.

"I can't do that."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"It says right there–" Mark reads out the text on screen. " _–Businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews._ The person has to delete it on their own."

"Oh, shit," Jeno gasps. "So if Mr. Jeon sees that, are we all getting in trouble or is it just him?"

Mark shrugs, admittedly not knowing the answer to that either. Instead, he turns to Renjun and asks, "Don’t you just want to… I don’t know. talk to him?”

"What?"

"Well, he kinda singled you out. Not to mention it's the first _and only_ review we have," Mark says. "Look, just be nice. I'm sure he'll delete it if you ask nicely."

"I _am_ nice."

Jeno winces. "Uhh, to be fair, you do scowl and roll your eyes whenever he walks in."

Renjun scoffs, turning to Mark for backup, but sadly, his hyung smiles sheepishly and shrugs, wordlessly agreeing with Jeno.

“God,” Renjun groans, rubbing his eyes out of frustration.

Has he really been doing all that? It’s not like he’s doing it on purpose. Then again, that doesn’t even matter at this point.

“Alright, fine! I’ll talk to him,” he says under his breath.

He spends the rest of the day glancing at the stairs almost every five minutes, waiting to see if the biggest headache of his life is finally here for a visit.

It’s been a bit unproductive if you ask him. The day goes by slower than usual, and not even Jeno is doing anything besides spin around his chair by the counter. Mark, on the other hand, seems preoccupied with a familiar face. It’s Lucas– a regular from the bookshop downstairs. Renjun would consider it a surprise to find him up here by the record store, but he soon realizes Lucas has a different purpose being here aside from books and CDs.

Renjun watches Mark and Lucas effortlessly flirt back and forth with each other that it makes him want to facepalm whenever Mark laughs out loud at the bare minimum. He doesn’t even realize he’s been making a somewhat disgusted face until he sees Jeno in his peripheral vision laughing at him. Instead, he goes back to preoccupy himself.

A few minutes later and Lucas is eventually on foot to leave. He even calls out to Jeno and him to say goodbye, so Renjun waves back. Then, just as he’s watching Lucas walk down the stairs, the person he’s been waiting for finally walks up.

Donghyuck’s stride is confident and unwavering like he’s been here a dozen times before. Well, he’s been here _more_ than that, and he sure knows, because when he scans the room to meet Renjun’s eyes, he even gets the audacity to grin. Renjun could only knit his brows, and when he looks at Jeno from the counter, his friend is subtly shaking his head, eyes wide and glancing down at Renjun’s unintentionally balled up fists: a silent warning not to cause a scene.

Donghyuck makes his way to the shelf beside Renjun, whistling a tune to himself as he scans for a record to play, almost as if he’s provoking him. Renjun does his best pretending to wipe the dust off the records beside where he is. Anything to keep his hands busy so he wouldn’t have to strangle him right then and there.

As expected, as soon as Donghyuck fishes a record out, he makes his way to a vacant turntable. 

Renjun is contemplating for the perfect moment to intercept, but he can’t quite get the timing right. _‘Fuck it,’_ he thinks to himself, marching towards him.

Just before Donghyuck could place the headphones over his ears, Renjun is already standing beside him, receiving an innocent stare in return.

“May I help you?” Donghyuck asks. If Renjun hadn’t known anything about him, then he would’ve believed this guy is harmless, but no, he’s Satan in two legs.

“Yeah, actually,” he breathes out. “I need you to take down the Yelp review.”

Donghyuck scoffs. Renjun feels ridiculous beside him because even though he’s standing, he’s still being towered over by someone sitting on a stool. “That can’t happen,” Donghyuck says, shaking his head apologetically.

“And why not?”

“Because businesses need reviews,” he answers matter-of-factly as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “People rely on that.”

“Yeah, and your review was very sarcastic. Not to mention defaming.”

“Sarcastic?” Donghyuck scoffs. “Coming from you?” He tilts his head at the sign Renjun left by the wall and smiles unapologetically.

Of course he wrote the review out of spite. Renjun huffs through his nose and forces himself to relax, but honestly, it’s not so easy keeping a sane conversation around this guy. And they haven’t even lasted more than ten minutes yet.

“I’ll take it down on one condition,” Donghyuck says. Renjun watches a tug pull on Donghyuck’s lips, and he’s almost certain he does _not_ want to hear it. “Beg for it.”

Scratch that. He’s definitely certain. “Excuse me?” he asks dryly.

Donghyuck grins, nodding. Renjun heard it right. “Beg for it. Like on your knees, saying please– that whole get-up.” He waves his hands around with an amused smile on his face, and Renjun just knows he’s getting a kick out of this.

Renjun looks around at the growing crowd. “Here?” Donghyuck nods. “In front of everyone?” Nods again. “You wish.”

Donghyuck shrugs, unfaltered. “Then the review stays.”

Renjun groans out loud, and Donghyuck only purses his lips together as he waits for his request. When Renjun realizes there’s no way out of this, he takes in a sharp breath and shuts his eyes. Slowly, he lowers his knees, along with his pride, as they sink to the floor.

He opens his eyes back, and Donghyuck gives him a somewhat surprised smile like he wasn’t expecting Renjun to give in to his ridiculous proposal _at all._

Renjun could already feel Mark and Jeno in his peripheral vision, mouth dropped open as they witness him literally begging in front of a customer. Steadily, he intertwines his fingers together and forces the hardest tightlipped smile out of his face. He sighs out of his nose. “Please.”

“Please what?”

“Take the review down,” he mumbles the words out under his breath while passersby slowly start wondering what the hell he’s doing on his knees.

Why couldn’t this have happened when there were barely any customers?

Donghyuck furrows his eyebrows. “I didn’t quite catch that. What was it?”

This time, Renjun glares up at him, but the other doesn’t seem to mind the threat, urging Renjun to say it again. “Please take the review down,” he repeats through gritted teeth.

Donghyuck considers it for a few seconds, savoring Renjun’s misery before eventually nodding.

Renjun is quick to sprawl back up on his feet, even swatting away Donghyuck’s hand in offering. He makes his way to the wall and grabs the note he wrote, crumpling it into a ball as he marches his way back to Donghyuck and shoves it over his chest.

By the next day, the review is nowhere to be seen.

**iv.**

Donghyuck still drops by at the shop as if nothing had happened, casually juggling vinyl records from Queen to Elton John to The Beatles. Jeno tells Renjun that Donghyuck’s mom is a big fan of 70s music, and it’s how Donghyuck found his love for it too (not that Renjun is interested in knowing), but Jeno and Donghyuck learn a lot about each other through their small talks.

Still, neither Jeno nor Mark brings up the fact that Renjun had to beg for him on his knees, but judging by how they would glance at Donghyuck whenever he walks in, then at Renjun, then at each other, he can tell he’s been a topic of discussion behind his back.

“Quit it,” he warns. The two would quickly shake their heads in denial.

“Renjun?”

He turns to look at the voice calling him from behind. To his surprise, it’s Jaemin.

“Jaemin! Hey!”

He and Renjun used to go to the same high school outside the city. They even dated for a while in sophomore year but broke up not even a month after they couldn’t agree on a Produce lineup they were rooting for. It’s hilarious, looking back at it, and even Jaemin agrees. Up to this day, they’ve turned it into their little inside joke and remained good friends ever since.

“Wow!” Jaemin marvels at him. “I didn’t think I’d see you in the city so soon. How’s your mom?”

“She’s okay. I decided to settle in early so I could get used to the city.”

“Look at you!” he coos proudly, and Renjun tries to hold back a grin. They catch up for a while– Jaemin tells him he’ll be majoring in Photography in a university not too far from Renjun’s, and that they should have a meal out when they can.

Eventually, he realizes he’s been holding Renjun off from his job and apologizes, exchanging their new numbers and letting him know that Renjun can contact him whenever.

Once Jaemin waves him goodbye, Jeno nudges him from the counter. “Yo,” he whispers, tilting his head to a direction in the room. “Mortal frenemy was totally checking you out.”

“Shut up.”

“No, really! He kept looking at you when you were talking with that guy.” Jeno turns to Mark. “Right, hyung?”

Mark has his eyes glued to his phone, suppressing a smile as he looks up at them. “Huh?”

“Donghyuck had his eyes glued to Renjun and his friend.”

Mark blinks. “Renjun was with a friend?”

“Am I the only one with the sense of presence here?” Jeno deadpans. “Who are you even texting anyway?” he asks, leaning over to look at Mark’s phone, which the other instantly snatches to hide.

“What? Nothing! No one.”

Jeno is quick enough to swoop the phone out of Mark’s hand before he could bury it in his pocket, finding out that he’s been texting no other than Lucas. Jeno makes a face, shaking his head. “This is no good, you’re using too much _haha’s_ and emojis.”

“How is that a bad thing?”

“You have to downplay it a bit, so you don’t look too desperate. Here let me show you...”

Renjun moves away out of earshot. He doesn’t really need further details on any advice Jeno has to give Mark in Text Flirting 101. He grabs a clean rag and moves to the shelves, wiping down dust forming from some untouched CDs at the bottom of the rack.

Just as he’s stooped down, he hears someone from above him ask, “Hey, do you have the reissue version of this?”

When he looks up, it’s no surprise to find Donghyuck being the customer in question. Renjun stands up, and Donghyuck hands him the Off The Wall vinyl he’s holding.

“I was trying to look for the one with the blue monochrome jacket, but I couldn't find it. Just in case you have one of those.”

Renjun eyes him carefully, thinking he’s onto something again. He did consider lashing out or ignoring him completely, but he figured he’d rather get paid for the rest of the summer than not, so he does his job.

He looks down to study the record and nods lightly. “Yeah, I think we do. I might’ve seen stocks in the basement. Hang on, I’ll go check.”

“I can do it,” Jeno interjects. Renjun tries not to notice the telepathic message he’s trying to get across as Jeno starts walking over towards them. He turns to take a look at the record and says, “The basement’s old and has one barely-functioning lightbulb. Renjun never goes down there, he’s too scared.”

Donghyuck snickers at the information, amused. “Is that so?”

“That was not needed, Jeno. Thank you,” Renjun scowls, already shoving Jeno down the stairs.

Jeno obliges, laughing while Renjun rolls his eyes.

As soon as Jeno is out of sight, he turns back to Donghyuck and mutters, “You can just wait for him,” avoiding Donghyuck’s eyes as he tries to get back to work.

Donghyuck nods at him silently but doesn’t bother stepping out of distance. When Renjun notices this, he slowly stops his hand from wiping a CD.

“Can I help you with anything else?”

“I, uh… no, not really,” Donghyuck shakes his head, opening and closing his mouth as if to say something, but eventually ending up with nothing. Renjun blinks at him questionably until he finally says, “I didn’t know you were friends with Jaemin.”

“You know him?”

“I went to a workshop with him before. Dance.”

“Oh, cool.” Renjun nods, genuinely interested. “Yeah, he does dance.” His hand returns to wiping a record in circles, then he points it back at Donghyuck. “You don’t look like someone who dances, though.”

Donghyuck squints at the remark, tilting his head at him. “What do I look like then?”

“An annoyance.”

This gets a laugh out of Donghyuck, and somehow, it makes Renjun smile too. “Fair enough.”

He’d like to think it’s to make up for everything Donghyuck has ever bothered him with, but seeing him laugh this one out, it somewhat lessens the tension between them.

“So, what’s your deal here?”

“My deal?”

“If you’re collecting Michael Jackson records, why not just buy them all at once? It’s always in full stock, so why keep coming back here?”

Donghyuck shrugs nonchalantly. “No collector ever got everything in a day, right?”

To be fair, he’s not wrong. Buying all the records at once is quite a heavy price, so Donghyuck has a point there. Still, he knows enough about him to assume he has a different agenda being here, but before Renjun could press on, Jeno is already back with what Donghyuck has been looking for.

“Found it! Sealed and right off the box.” He hands the album over, and Donghyuck mutters a silent thanks as Jeno leads him to the cashier, putting an end to their small conversation as he walks over to the counter.

For some reason, Renjun wishes Jeno took a little longer downstairs.

  
  


The scorching summer heat is just starting to crank up. A part of Renjun wishes he stayed back home with his parents, then maybe right now, he’d be on an island vacation, cooling himself from the intensity of the heat. Then he reminds himself perhaps being here isn’t so bad– he has a pretty badass air conditioner back in his apartment that does its job well.

That is until Renjun goes home one day, and it just so happens to mysteriously go against everything it’s built for when it stops blowing out cold air.

Renjun doesn’t notice it at first, but when the beads of sweat start drenching him whenever he’s waiting for his room to cool, he figures something is wrong with it. He brings it to his landlord’s attention, but unfortunately, appliance-related concerns are out of their liability, so that leaves him debating if he should spend his entire savings calling over a repairman.

Eventually, he decides to take it upon himself, looking up into a bunch of forums and Youtube tutorials online on how to fix it. Besides, it doesn’t look too complicated.

That being said, just by opening up the air conditioner does he realize that it _is_ , in fact, too complicated.

He uses up all the tools he’s never even thought of using before, hitting and opening the creaks of the device while he lets out a frustrated groan with each strike. After a few more hitting and thrashing, the guy on the Youtube video he’s watching is bringing out another pair of pliers and Renjun scrambles towards the kitchen to look for a similar looking tool.

As soon as he gets up, he finds a note lying in front of his door. 

_ It’s kinda funny how I get told off for playing loud music when you’re the one who sounds like a barbarian in the middle of an animal sacrifice. You sure you don’t want me to call in the rest of the tribe? _ _  
_ _ \- Donghyuck _

Renjun lets out a sigh, sinking on his shoulders as he hoists himself up the kitchen counter. He’s already sweating buckets and feeling the dryness of his throat, but despite all that, he manages to grab a note and a pen, scribbling back a response:

 _ Hey, mind your own business. What you’re hearing is actually a celebratory battle cry because what else could be better than a non-functioning air conditioner in the middle of summer. Nothing beats that, right? _ _  
_ _ \- Renjun _

He slips it in Donghyuck’s door just before he heads outside to buy a drink.

He spends the rest of his day in a nearby coffee shop. He takes as little sips as he can from his iced beverage. For the safest bet, this allows him to lounge in a place that has working ventilation without getting kicked out.

He goes on to read through more forums about his growing problem back home, but nothing seems to make sense to him. The terms are too technical and he’s risking major catastrophe if he ends up destroying it more. It might even cost him at least triple of what could be an easy solution had he just called for maintenance help.

Ultimately, he decides there’s no way he could have his air conditioner fixed by tonight, so he faces up the fact that he has to sleep through the 30°C heat until he can find a solution. 

Although, as soon as he goes home and opens the door, a new note lies on the ground:

 _ Life pro tip: if it isn't cooling, then it’s not a hardware issue. Go wash your gunky air filter and save yourself money from calling a repair guy. You’re welcome. _ _  
_ _ PS: Now you owe me!!! _ _  
_ _ \- Donghyuck _

**v.**

Having his air conditioner back up and running is the most relieved he's been for the summer, and that note has been the most grateful he’s ever been for someone for allowing him to sleep comfortably without drowning in his sweat.

It takes Renjun a while, but on his way to work, he finally decides that maybe he should let Donghyuck know about it. Weirdly enough, it even excites Renjun to tell him about something as mundane as a fully-functioning air conditioner.

But for the rest of the day, Donghyuck never stepped foot in the store. It wouldn't have bothered Renjun so much had it just been for that day, but a day turned into four and there still isn’t any sight of him.

Even Jeno and Mark seem to have gotten the hint because they’d start shaking their heads at Renjun whenever he looks like he’s just about to ask if they’ve seen him.

He figures maybe Donghyuck stopped collecting Michael Jackson albums, or he found a new store to loot. It happens, but still, he doesn’t deny feeling a bit disappointed about it. He shrugs it off as much as it bothers him.

“You don’t suppose he’s like… dead in his room or something, right?” Jeno asks, earning a flick in the back of his head from Mark.

“Don’t say stuff like that,” Mark scolds.

"Right. Sorry," Jeno mutters, rubbing his head. "If he is, then the rotting smell should've started d–”

“Jeno!”

When Renjun gets back home that day, he still lingers on the thought of where Donghyuck could possibly be. Hopefully, not as a corpse as Jeno claims.

He lays on his bed, half-hoping for the familiar 70s music to gradually play from the other end of the wall, but there’s nothing. By morning, just before he goes to work, he figures the only thing to keep him at peace is if he finally slips in a note on Donghyuck’s door to check up on him.

_ Hey. You never came back to the store again so I hope you’re not dead. - R _

He gets home after a dull shift, hoping but not expecting to find a familiar note stuck to his door.

_ Close. I'm actually sick and since I plan on living longer than you, I’m on my way to the doctor right now. - D _

He’s not entirely sure how long ago this had been put up since he wasn’t home for hours. But without much thought, he opens his apartment door and goes straight to the kitchen, searching for something in his cupboard to grab a small box before he heads back outside.

He’s standing in front of Donghyuck’s door, not entirely sure if he should be doing this in the first place, but before his mind could fully comprehend the situation and back out, he’s already knocking, and just as expected, the door swings open.

And there he is.

“...Hi,” he squeaks, raising one hand to wave like the fool that he is.

“Hey,” Donghyuck croaks back, not bothering to hide the puzzled look on his face. He tilts his head at him, hair slightly tousled that Renjun resists the urge to pat it down. By the looks of the paleness of Donghyuck’s skin and the dark circles under his eyes, it’s clear he’s been bedridden, and Renjun wishes he knew sooner.

“I, uh, got your note,” he says, holding out the paper that was stuck to his door. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just a fever.”

“How high?”

“Burning.”

Impulsively, Renjun reaches out to place the back of his hand on Donghyuck’s neck. It isn’t until Donghyuck tenses slightly does Renjun realize what he just did, so he quickly pulls away.

“Sorry,” he says under his breath as he keeps his hand behind his back. “You’re ho– warm!” he suddenly exclaims, cutting himself from saying _‘hot”_ that would most likely be misinterpreted. Donghyuck raises a brow at him, a smile finally tugging on the corners of his lips. “Warm. You’re warm,” he presses on.

Before Donghyuck could get the chance to speak, Renjun fumbles through his pocket, remembering what he’s here for in the first place. Donghyuck watches him pull out a small rectangular box with Chinese symbols written over it.

“It’s Chinese herbal medicine,” Renjun explains, handing it over to him a little too forcefully. “Take a spoonful before you sleep and another one as soon as you've eaten breakfast. My mom stocked me with like, five bottles when I moved. Works like a charm. For me, at least.”

It takes a while for Donghyuck to respond, staring at the small white box in his hand. “Wow. Um, thanks.”

Renjun nods as he slowly backs away to the hallway, but Donghyuck is still looking at him bemusingly. “There’s a package insert inside that box,” he explains. “It’s in Mandarin but I translated it in Korean at the back.”

Donghyuck, still unmoving, slowly nods his head. 

Aware how unconvinced Donghyuck still is, Renjun finally says, “I’m not trying to poison you, you know?” 

Donghyuck snickers at that, the familiar tone of Renjun’s annoyed voice somewhat feels home-like for the both of them. “Only one way to find out,” he mutters with a shrug.

Renjun sighs at him, shaking his head before ultimately deciding to walk back to his room. When Donghyuck finally shuts the door, Renjun could only hope Donghyuck reads the note he left inside the box:

 _ Life pro tip: Works best if you drink peppermint tea too. I'm not paying for that so go buy it yourself. _ _  
_ _ PS: Now we’re even. _ _  
_ _ PPS: Hope you feel better soon. - R _

**vi.**

After Donghyuck's claims of Renjun ‘miraculously’ healing him, he lets him know that he has decided to make amends with him and _finally_ place the records he takes out back to their appropriate shelves. Renjun, of course, responds with a sigh and an eye roll.

Donghyuck has been hanging around for quite some time now that some customers even ask him for assistance, and surprisingly, he knows how to help– pointing them to the restroom or even locating vinyls for them.

“You should start working here,” Jeno suggests to him from the counter. He’s alone behind it today since Mark is so invested ‘assisting’ Lucas by the CD racks. “Might as well earn some cash while you’re stealing Renjun's job–" Renjun shoots back a glare by the sound of his name, "–or mine," he adds.

Donghyuck nods along. “I'll think about it.”

"Please don't.” Renjun quickly jumps in the conversation at the sound of Donghyuck considering the offer, shaking his head. “The only thing he’d be stealing are the spare records in the basement."

"Hey, I pay for everything I get!" Donghyuck lifts up the newly-bought record from the plastic bag dangling on his wrist. “This is paid for! If anything, you guys should be giving me a loyalty discount.”

"If you work here, you get a 20% employee's dis–"

"Stop enabling him!" Renjun groans, cutting Jeno off as the both of them snicker at his displeasure.

It's not long until Renjun clocks out, leaving Mark to lock in the shop while Jeno bids them goodbye, catching a bus on the other end of the street. As soon as Renjun and Donghyuck are left alone, Donghyuck tilts his head at him, signalling him to lead the way on their walk back home.

It’s been like this for a while now and Renjun has grown accustomed to having him by his side like this. Although sometimes it gets overbearing whenever they end up arguing over the littlest things, it’s nice to have some company like him. If Renjun is being _really_ honest, then he’d admit having Donghyuck around makes him feel less alone.

“So what’d you get this time?” Renjun asks, nodding at the swishing plastic bag on Donghyuck’s hand.

“This?” He glances over it tangled on his wrist as if he’s just noticing it for the first time too. “Michael Jackson’s Bad.” 

Renjun grimaces. “You’re so weird.”

“How is that weird?”

“As far as I know, you’re the only guy our age who’s so obsessed with Michael Jackson,” Renjun says. “You’re like a 40-year-old trapped in a teenager’s body.”

“It’s not my fault your music taste is so bland.”

“Take that back!”

“Yeah, I said it!”

This is how their walks usually end up in: the two of them roughhousing and throwing verbal threats at each other, until one of them gives in and dares to push the other in the street in front of a moving truck.

But for today, Donghyuck takes up most of the conversation. Renjun doesn’t even bother trying to cut him off now that he’s just grown used to hearing him babble and justify his love for his favorite musician.

“1993 Super Bowl. You know how halftime performers have a strict 12 minute time-limit? Most of them squeeze in as much as they can with that. But not MJ. First he exploded on stage, like literally, exploded! Then he just stood there for two whole minutes. And people were still cheering. For two whole minutes they were just cheering, and it never died down. It’s like… the power of his presence alone, you know?”

“Where are you getting with this?” Renjun asks, a genuine question.

They stop over as they wait to cross the streets so he turns to look at Donghyuck, taking sight of the glint in his eyes. He’s grown to realize that this is how Donghyuck gets when he talks about something that excites him. It even makes Renjun think how maybe this is why he likes walking home with him so much.

“What I'm saying is, isn't- isn’t that cool?” Donghyuck says, picking up his words. “I mean, he doesn't even need to beat himself up into exhaustion just to impress people. He was just standing there and people still thought it was captivating _._ That's what makes him so great. You can’t deny that, right?"

Renjun stares at him for a while, mumbles back a curt "I guess” just before the traffic lights they’ve been waiting for turn green.

When Renjun’s feeling too exhausted to get in an argument with him, he goes along with whatever Donghyuck says. Most often than not, he doesn’t even remember what they’ve been talking about, and thankfully Donghyuck doesn’t care too much about him _not_ caring either.

But the thing is, Renjun never realized how much Donghyuck would make sense about it after all.

Days turned into weeks and although the bickering has gotten worse and the cat fights much more physical, the two of them have managed to build an undeniable friendship.

“You again?” Mark would tease as soon as Donghyuck waltzes up the stairs of the store. Still, he’s being received with a warm welcome whenever he offers them pastries he bought from the bakery shop just across the street.

Then comes the weekend when it gets a tad bit busier than usual. At times like these, the rest of them are too occupied to keep Donghyuck company, so he keeps himself busy in front of a turntable, passing the time as he sinks in a seat and puts up vinyl records to listen to.

When the sea of people gradually dies down, Renjun finds himself unconsciously glancing back at Donghyuck. He sees him bopping his head slightly, lost in the music as he studies the back of the album cover– all the while with Renjun studying him instead.

Renjun never really got a good look at him before until now, and now that he has, the first thing that comes into mind is that Donghyuck looks… alluring.

Well, to be fair, the first time Renjun met him, he already _objectively_ thought Donghyuck is somewhat attractive. But now, he's noticing things beyond that– like the way the corners of his lips slowly turn up when he’s mouthing the words to the song, or how he’s tapping his fingers lightly on the headphones, it convinces Renjun not to look away.

Almost like… like he's making his presence known.

Like the 1993 Super Bowl.

Then he hears Jeno clearing his throat beside him, and Renjun startles himself out of his daze. He grabs a handful of unplaced CDs in a stack and keeps his hands busy. “Sorry,” he mutters. “I spaced out for a second there.”

Jeno looks at him for a second, then follows where Renjun’s eyes had been. He tips his head in acknowledgment, although the knowing smile on his face doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Shut up,” Renjun says between gritted teeth, bumping against Jeno’s shoulders just before he crosses him.

Jeno laughs to himself, shaking his head. “I didn’t say anything.”

It never turned awkward between them after that. At least not for Renjun. Jeno called him a coward once for never making a move, convincing him that Donghyuck likes him back just as much. “Come on, Mark already made a move on Lucas, now it’s your turn,” Jeno whined.

But the thing is, Mark has been smitten over Lucas for over a year, while Renjun only knew Donghyuck for a few weeks. Not to mention college is starting soon which means there are less chances of them hanging out as often. It's only fair to leave it at that: a silly crush on the guy who enjoys pushing Renjun’s buttons a little too much.

Still, he’d be lying if he said he never thought of going out with Donghyuck.

It crosses his mind again today when Donghyuck starts skipping happily towards him at the counter, showing him The Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back' album.

“The cast of Stranger Things sang this song at a late-night show when they were promoting Season 2,” Donghyuck explains as he hands it over to him to scan. “It’s what made me watch the series in the first place and surprisingly, I enjoyed it.”

“I’ve never seen it," Renjun says, although Donghyuck never really asked. He scans it over, places them in a plastic bag and hands it back to him.

Donghyuck falters before he accepts the bag. “You're kidding.”

“I don’t have Netflix.” Renjun shrugs. With things barely keeping themselves upright inside his apartment, not owning Netflix is the least of his worries.

“That can’t be right,” Donghyuck murmurs. “Say what, I’ll give you my password only if you promise not to change it. Oh, also, don’t stream at around 8PM because that’s when I usually do and I only have the basic subscription. Unless you want to chip i–”

“Ah, no. I mean… my TV doesn’t support Netflix,” Renjun cuts him off. He had to because there Donghyuck goes again– being overly excited with his glinting eyes that Renjun fears he might get too distracted and not get to say what he’s about to. “It’s not a Smart TV. Come to think of it, the only time I’ve ever opened it was when I first moved in. It showed that grainy thing, and I turned it off as fast as I could because it reminded me of The Ring.”

“Please don’t tell me your TV has that back part with the dial?”

“That’s exactly it.”

Donghyuck snorts. “And you have the audacity to call _me_ a 40-year old?” He receives a hit on his shoulder instead. "Hey, I have an idea. Come to my place tonight. Let’s bingewatch.”

Behind Donghyuck, Renjun notices Jeno lift his eyes up at them and hold back a shit-eating grin. Renjun gives him a telepathic death glare quickly enough that Donghyuck doesn't notice.

He turns back to Donghyuck who’s grinning at him, already feeling the innocent excitement in his eyes before he could even say yes.

But who could say no to that?

Renjun has never been sure what to expect of Donghyuck's apartment, but he never thought it would be the _complete_ opposite of his. Despite being around the same size, Donghyuck’s space is fairly neater. Although the apartment building itself is old, there aren’t any visible cracks and dents on the walls, nor does the carpet have any suspicious-looking stains. It's almost like he had it completely refurbished.

As soon as Donghyuck typed in his passcode (even cupping his hands over the keypad to which Renjun sighs at), they're being welcomed by a 42-inch curved LED TV in the living room.

Renjun whistles at the sight of it teasingly.

“A college gift from my dad,” Donghyuck explains with a redbeat face.

“I thought that was the turntable?”

“My mom's.”

"Huh," Renjun chuckles. "And I thought _my_ $100 apparel gift card was the best college gift. And that was from both of them."

Donghyuck rolls his eyes at him, which is a first because that’s usually Renjun’s job.

Eventually, Donghyuck excuses himself to go towards the kitchen, and Renjun offers to put the newly-bought record to the shelf with the rest of his collection.

He heads to the corner and lodges it just beside the others he's been buying for the past two months. He even sees the same Bohemian Rhapsody picture disc that started the note war in the first place, and on the top right, a flowery cursive handwriting reads:

 _To my dearest sunshine._ _  
_ _If you’re missing mom, here’s something to remember me by._ _  
_ _ I love you, my full sun. _

Renjun hums to himself. Had he known that the reason Donghyuck kept blasting Bohemian Rhapsody for days was because he missed his mother, he never would have been so dismissive in the first place. 

It makes him feel bad, remembering how he desperately wanted to throw hands at Donghyuck back then. He never really thought he’d be stepping foot inside his house two months later. 

Just beside the records, Renjun’s eyes catch sight of a bowl filled with spare change and a few letters. At first, he thinks they were mail or some personal errand notes, but at another glance, Renjun can’t be wrong seeing it’s his handwriting. He looks closer to confirm, and sure enough, it is.

It's the old notes he kept sliding inside his door.

He lets out an amused chuckle, seeing how Donghyuck kept all of them like token, even the one from the record store that Renjun had shoved towards his chest. He skims through them and couldn’t help but laugh at the memories each letter holds. It all feels so long ago.

When he hears Donghyuck’s footsteps reentering the living room, he turns back at him and waves one in the air. "I really hated your guts back then, huh?" he laughs, turning back to what he's holding. “Funny how times change.”

"Hey,” Donghyuck calls out reluctantly, setting the bowl of popcorn down at the coffee table in front of him.

Renjun looks over only to see him not sharing the same amused smile as him. "Sorry," Renjun mutters, setting the papers back down at the bowl. "I shouldn’t have gone through your stuff." 

Donghyuck quickly shakes his head. "No, it- it's not that."

They’re a few meters apart from each other and Donghyuck is looking down at his feet and fidgeting with the tips of his fingers, almost as if he's hesitating to say something.

The smile on Renjun’s face slowly fades into a look of concern, not exactly knowing what he’s going to hear next.

Until finally, Donghyuck looks back up at him, and with the softest voice Renjun has ever heard from him, he asks, "You know I like you, right?”

He could feel the rollercoaster-like dip in his stomach and he couldn’t help but gulp down a response.

Well, that surely was not what he was expecting so soon. 

“That’s why I kept coming back to the store,” Donghyuck admits, answering his question from weeks ago. “I wanted a reason to stay while I could.”

Renjun knew. Renjun had always known. Donghyuck could’ve bought everything he wanted to collect the first time he came, but he didn’t. And to be honest, Renjun didn’t want to complain either. He liked seeing Donghyuck in the store. He liked seeing him lip sync to songs when he’s so engaged with the music. He liked seeing him come up to the counter each day, a smile on his face and a new record on hand as he goes on to explain the B-sides Renjun’s not sure he cares about. But he listens anyway.

That’s why Jeno and Mark knew from the get-go. It was just him who refused to acknowledge it.

But now that Renjun is here, standing in front of him, _hearing_ it in front of him… well, he’s not entirely sure how to react.

He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. Donghyuck must’ve noticed he's having trouble finding words too, so he asks, "Would you still like to stay?"

Renjun could leave. He could free himself from this moment and act like he never heard anything. Go to college in a few weeks and pretend this never happened. Renjun could head straight back to his apartment. It’s that easy. It’s not even a five-minute walk to get from here to there.

But Renjun doesn’t leave. Instead, he nods. Unhesitantly, he nods. And when he witnesses the worry washing over Donghyuck’s face, slowly being replaced with relief, then that’s enough to convince him he answered right. 

If Renjun can’t say the words back, then he at least hopes this is enough.

"I'll set the TV."

They spend the night with Donghyuck sprawled out on the couch while Renjun sits on the rug with his knees pulled up. Despite Donghyuck’s protests, he insists on staying there being an arm’s reach away from the popcorn. It’s not like he’d let Donghyuck win against him either, so eventually, they don’t bother fighting over it for long.

Of course, it doesn’t take long for them to start arguing _again_. Specifically, just five episodes in on the first season.

“That’s annoying.” Renjun frowns as the end credits for the episode start to roll. “El could’ve easily told them what happened to Will. She's been running circles around this whole time. If someone I care about disappears and some stranger says they know where they are but keeps holding back information, I sure as hell would be pissed.”

“Why aren’t you considering the possibility that she’s not able to tell them? They made her into an experiment and she’s obviously traumatized! She can barely even string two words together and you’re complaining about how she won’t give out information."

“Well, you promised me a good show and so far, I’m still waiting for it.”

“No, wait, trust me! The next episode is really cool. Just pay attention,” Donghyuck says, pulling himself up from his position to reach out for the bowl of popcorn.

It startles Renjun for a moment when he moves forward, their faces only inches away from each other. Donghyuck doesn’t seem too bothered by it because he goes on to keep talking while he throws some snacks in his mouth. 

“You’re gonna love El in this next one and you’ll take back everything you said about her. There’s one part where– Oh! Nevermind. Spoiler. Is it okay if I spoil you? I mean, it’s not really plot-relevant or anything, it’s just this really cool part where–”

Renjun slowly smiles to himself everytime he turns into this– oversharing when he gets too excited. He isn’t even paying attention anymore when his eyes start shifting down to Donghyuck’s lips, and without much thought, he moves his head forward to steal a quick peck.

He bites back a smile when it leaves Donghyuck momentarily stunned with his mouth hanging open, and slowly his cheeks start to flush. Renjun lifts himself up from the floor to sit beside him, shifting into a comfortable position as he leans his head over his hand. When he witnesses Donghyuck’s ears turning visibly red, still frozen in place, he couldn’t help but let out a laugh. 

"Please, continue,” he urges.

Donghyuck blinks back at him and tips his head into a nod. "Okay,” he says softly as he starts leaning forward.

Renjun should’ve elaborated that he meant to continue on the _spoiler,_ but when Donghyuck’s hand reaches for the back of his neck, pulling him in to close the gap between their lips, then maybe he thinks he likes this better than the spoiler.

Renjun’s hands instinctively reach out to place them over Donghyuck’s wrists, parting his mouth open slightly. He smiles beneath the kiss, taking note of the subtle taste of popcorn as Donghyuck starts towering over him and causing him to lean back on the cushion.

He buries his hands over the back of Donghyuck's hair, running them over as they stay like that for a while– lips fitting each other in a way Renjun never saw coming. _This is nice,_ Renjun thinks to himself. Kissing Donghyuck is nice.

The kisses are slow, as if they're taking all the time in the world, because they are. And to be honest, Renjun wouldn’t want it to end so soon. His hands move down over the back of Donghyuck’s neck and now he’s leaving a trail of kisses over the corners of his lips, his cheeks, his jaw until he starts sucking on a spot just below his neck that sends Donghyuck’s breath hitching and shifting in his position until– _thud!_

“Oh, fuck!” Renjun jolts himself up when Donghyuck accidentally rolls himself off the couch. “Are you okay?”

“...Yeah,” Donghyuck winces. Renjun offers a hand as he slides down to sit beside him on the floor. Donghyuck rubs a spot on his shoulder and a smile slowly overgrows his pained expression when he says, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I take it you like me too.”

Renjun rolls his eyes at him as Donghyuck wiggles his brows teasingly. He figures the only thing to wipe that smile off his face is if they get back to making out, (which he’s assuming Donghyuck is down for, at least), so he goes for it again– swooping in as Donghyuck catches his lips with ease.

Renjun pushes in a bit too much that it sends Donghyuck tipping backwards, flat on his back again, and now he’s basically lying on top of him. Still, he refuses to break away when Donghyuck runs his hand over the back of his head, savoring every fluttering kiss he leaves. By the looks of it, he doesn't want to let go either.

It completely crosses his mind how before all of this, they were in fact watching a show until the TV suddenly pauses, stressing the silence of the room apart from the sound of their lips touching. Renjun breaks the kiss off, pressing against his forehead. “Did you turn it off?” he asks, using the time to catch his breath.

Donghyuck shakes his head, almost eagerly trying to pull Renjun’s face back.

“Mmf– wait.”

He pulls away again to look for the remote control, thinking maybe the internet got disconnected. Knowing how thin these walls are, it’d be better to have the TV fill in the noise in case they move on to _other_ means, and with Renjun straddling Donghyuck between his legs just a few seconds ago, the possibility is not too far off.

But then, he looks up to read what’s written on the screen:

 **_Are you sure you’re still watching Stranger Things?_ ** ****  
_Continue Watching_ _  
_ _Back_

Donghyuck must’ve noticed too because he bursts out laughing, carrying his own weight in his elbows. “Damn,” he cackles.

Renjun eventually finds the remote and turns the TV off. He looks back at Donghyuck and notices his disheveled hair (thanks to him), his now wrinkled t-shirt (thanks to him), and his almost-swollen lips (again, thanks to him.) He couldn’t help but giggle, laughing at how the tables have finally turned. Now, it’s _them_ being called out on their behavior. Except not by each other.

“That is one passive aggressive TV.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! writing this made me realize how much i enjoy renhyuck's dynamics and now i may just have to write more ^^
> 
> kudos and comments are gladly appreciated. let me know what you think!
> 
> [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/dochidoii/) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/dochidoii/)  
> 


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